LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “In 2022, BCIT suspended green roof programming. Because green roofs no longer had a voice in BC, a group of us decided to do something about that. We created GRIN,” stated Dr. Christine Thuring, Executive Director of the Green Roof Infrastructure Network
Note to Reader:
Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. Stories are structured in three parts: One-Minute Takeaway, Editor’s Perspective (reproduced below), and the Story Behind the Story.
The edition published on April 7, 2026 featured Christine Thuring, green roof champion. She is the founding executive director and public face of GRIN, which is the acronym for Green Roof Infrastructure Network of British Columbia. The GRIN story is a great story in that it links the past to the present and future and where GRIN wants to take a re-energized green roof movement.
EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE / CONTEXT FOR BUSY READER – by Kim Stephens
“The Partnership celebrates the work of the group of green infrastructure champions who are the driving force behind GRIN. Their story behind the story as told by Christine Thuring is a great story. It links past to present and future and to where GRIN wants to take a re-energized green roof movement,” stated Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.
Fast forward to the present day
“With my mid-2000s memories as my context, it came as a surprise to learn from Christine that the BCIT Green Roof Research Facility was no more. How could this have happened, I asked? Not that long ago, I recalled, the green roof movement was a hot topic in this region. It offered such promise.”
“The story behind the story is that Christine Thuring and her GRIN colleagues are committed to putting green roofs back on municipal radar screens. They have a vision, they have a plan, and they are doing outreach. It takes passion, hard work, and perseverance to have mission impact.”
A vision with a task is the hope of the world
“The Partnership sees volunteers and groups such as GRIN stepping up in response to a need. They are helping to bridge a knowledge gap. That certainly is the essence of the Partnership’s story. Policy frameworks have not changed. It is effective and consistent execution and implementation that are lacking.”
“In the world of local government, we observe deep knowledge being ignored or dismissed at an alarming rate. This is playing out as an ebbing political tide. Storytelling is needed more than ever. Solutions to the issues of our time lie in WHAT stories we tell and HOW we tell those stories.”
“The Partnership is showcasing GRIN because that helps to advance the vision for network collaboration within a constellation of networks. In these busy times, there is tremendous value in networks that help solve problems together,” concluded Kim Stephens.
To Learn More:
Waterbucket eNews stories are structured in three parts: One-Minute Takeaway, Editor’s Perspective and Context for Busy Reader, and the Story Behind the Story. To read the complete 3-part storyline, download a PDF copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: BCIT green roof programming an early victim of an ebbing tide.
DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2026/03/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Christine-Thuring-and-green-roof-movement_2026.pdf